


Irony

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-23
Updated: 2006-02-23
Packaged: 2018-08-15 15:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8062681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: A chance to change something that went terribly wrong. (07/10/2004)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: My very first fanfic. Does it show?  


* * *

Irony.

What a concept. Humour that will come back and kick you in the ass.

These were Trip Tucker's thoughts as he sat on a rock in the middle of nowhere, on a strange, barren world. Cold rain poured down his face, a reminder that he was still alive.

He had long stopped feeling the pain. A human being could only take so much before he snapped. The ever-present rain numbed whatever feeling he would have had.

Hell, the rain never stopped. It was ironic how he had come to like the rain that would probably cause his death.

Death. A concept he longed to know firsthand. He wasn't suicidal, just tired of being alive. The hope of rescue had long died in him as he had come to realize no one would get to him in time.

Besides, he had come to think of this planet as his home. After all, his friends were here with him. But they were buried under four feet of barren ground.

The lone survivor. Once again, irony had reared its ugly head and bit him in the ass. He was, after all, the one that should have died first. The problem had started in the warp manifold. From there, it had spread to adjacent conduits and had started a series of overloads eventually leading to a warp core meltdown.

He had ordered everyone out, and he had stayed behind. He had tried to keep the warp core together as long as he could so that everyone else could leave. He had jumped into a life pod at the last possible second and had headed to the closest nearby planet.

Near the atmosphere, the alarms started beeping at him. The sublight engines in the tiny pod had malfunctioned and had to be shut down. He was going to have to glide into the atmosphere and hope that he would survive the crash.

He woke up after God knows how long, to find his worst nightmare surrounding him. The 63 escape pods and 4 shuttle pods had all been destroyed. He limped over to each and every one, burying everyone that hadn't been incinerated in the crash.

It had been the most painful day of his life. His eyes bled tears continually, blurring the faces of mostly everyone he found. After some time, he pieced together what had happened. The engines in the pods had all accidentally ignited a gas in the planet's atmosphere, causing their pods to either blow up or slam into the planet at an incredible speed.

He worked for several days, making sure he had found every body. His own injuries inhibited his work, as several of his wounds had become infected. That didn't stop him. He would make sure that every possible person had been buried. He owed them that at least.

That was how he had ended up on his rock, contemplating irony. He sat for seconds, hours, days. Time had no meaning to him now. He was only waiting for the time when death would claim him too, and he could rejoin his crewmates.

He had his eyes closed when he heard a voice. It called out to him, beckoning him to them. Unwillingly, his legs pushed themselves up of their own accord and brought him closer to the voice.

He could see a humanoid now, standing several meters away. It seemed to be almost glowing, radiating somehow. He started to more of its words, understanding them.

"The past is the present. The present is the future. The future is the past. The past..."

These words repeated themselves as Trip drew closer. The alien seemed to notice his presence now, beckoning Trip to come closer.

"You wish to change the past?" said the alien, reading Trip's mind.

"Yes." mumbled Trip, his throat sore from disuse.

"The past is the present. The present is the future. The future is the past. The past is the..."

"I don't care!" screamed out Trip, his voce screeching out into the rain. "Bring them back!"

The alien stopped its chanting, pausing to consider Trip's request.

"This is what you wish?"

"Yes!" Trip exclaimed.

"Very well."

The alien leaned towards Trip, showing an oval face, two large eyes and no nose. It touched Trip's forehead with its four-fingered hand, and everything around them started to change...

* * *

His eyes opened slowly. The alien's touch had disorientated him, so he had closed his eyes for a moment. What he saw when he opened them caused his jaw to literally drop.

He was back. Back on Enterprise. He watched as his friends and crewmates passed by him in Engineering, alive and well. He must have been grinning widely because Crewman Anderson walked up and asked if he was alright.

"I'm terrific!" he exclaimed, causing the crewman to back away slightly.

He whistled as he walked around Engineering, absorbing the life around him. He tapped his foot while he ran system diagnostics on a console. He felt alive.

Suddenly, he remembered what he had to do. He jogged over to where the original problem had occurred, and took the warp manifold offline.

//I've done it.// he thought to himself. //I've changed the future.//

The communications unit near him beeped for attention. He pressed the button, and heard Captain Archer's voice.

//Jon!// he thought happily to himself. He had never expected to hear that voice ever again.

Meanwhile, Captain Archer was calling out his name.

"Sorry Cap'n," he said sheepishly, "I got distracted."

"I noticed." said the Captain wryly. "Are you free for dinner tonight? I'll have Chef make catfish..."

Trip licked his lips at the mention of catfish. "Are ya kiddin' yerself? Of course I'll be there!"

* * *

Trip returned to his quarters after his shift ended to take a quick shower. The feeling of the warm water brought back memories of the planet.

//That's over now.// he reminded himself. //It never happened.// He tried to block out the thoughts of those horrid memories out of his head.

The alien's voice kept coming back to him. For the first time, he pondered what it had meant.

" 'Past is the present. The present is the future. The future is the past.' "

The words were a jumble in his mind. //What did the alien mean by that?// thought Trip. He was haunted by the missing answer as he prepared for dinner with his friends.

He was buttoning up his uniform when his door chime ran.

"Ah'm coming, keep your shirt on." he said, hastily finishing the last three buttons.

He was thoroughly surprised to find T'Pol at his door. She stood with perfect posture, her hands behind her back as she stood in the doorway.

Trip could almost cry from joy. The last time he saw T'Pol, she had been dead, burned badly across the left side of her body. His heart tore when he had seen her that way. He had come to love T'Pol over the years, in his own way.

His reverie was broken by the sound of T'Pol's voice.

"Are you alright Commander?" she inquired, cocking her head to one side.

"Uh, I'm fine." he said quickly, embarrassed that she had caught him staring.

"Very well. The Captain is expecting us." She pivoted on one foot and started walking down the hallway, Trip half a footstep behind.

* * *

The moment Trip walked into the room, he was hit by the tantalizing smell of catfish. His stomach rumbled with hunger, as if he hadn't eaten in days.

//Well, I haven't.// he thought to himself, referring to his stomach's protests.

Captain Archer, his best friend, sat at the end of the table. He wore a big smile on his face, and stood when T'Pol and

Trip entered the room.

"I was beginning to think you two weren't coming!"

Trip smiled at his friend. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

T'Pol sat down quietly between the two men, starting to pick at her salad.

"Aren't you the talkative one tonight?!" commented Trip.

"Is there something wrong?" inquired Jon.

T'Pol looked up from her food. "It is a... personal matter."

Trip gave her a confused look, but Jon just started to smile.

"Something along the lines of a birthday?" added the Captain.

T'Pol lifted her head up and nodded at the Captain. "Yes. It is my 66th birthday today."

Trip whistled. "Wow. And you still look good!"

At his comment, both Jon and T'Pol looked at him quizzically.

"Still?" replied T'Pol.

Now it was Trip's turn to look down into his plate. "It's not that ah meant that ya should look bad, or something..." he trailed off, his face turning a slight shade of red.

Jon only chuckled and turned back to T'Pol. "Now, I hear that Vulcansâ€”"

He was cut off by the sound of the communicator. Jon sighed and walked over to it.

"Archer here."

Lt. Malcolm Reed's lilting, British voice came over the connection. "Sorry to bother you sir, but an unidentified ship is approaching at high warp."

"I'll be right there. Archer out." He turned to face his two friends, disappointed evident in his expression. "Sorry guys, I guess we'll have to cut this celebration short. T'Pol, we'd better head to the bridge. I'll see you later Trip."

Trip nodded and headed out the door. //Everything just has to happen right before we eat.// he complained to himself.

He was halfway to the turbolift when the ship rocked with an explosion. He quickly steadied himself and sprinted to the turbolift.

Silent prayers ran through his head. To have been able to change the future, and have it all taken away. He was determined not to let that happen.

The far away sound of weapons fire filled his ears, followed by bone-shaking explosions. His head started to pound and he felt like he couldn't take any more.

He slumped down to the floor of the turbolift, the sounds of destruction all around him. His hands covered his ears, and he shook back and forth, mumbling to himself.

//No...not again.// he thought, //I can't take it!//

He closed his eyes, and with that brought a sense of peace. The loud sounds stopped abruptly, as he reopened his eyes to see himself surrounded by...

* * *

Light.

It was all around him. It was up, down, left, right. It was all he could see.

//Where am I?// he thought to himself. //Have I died?//

As he contemplated this, a figure came out of the white. It was the alien who had granted him the power to change the future.

"Where am I?" he repeated, this time aloud.

The alien looked curiously at him, as if he should already know. "Time."

"What?" asked Trip, confused.

"This is time in its purest form. It is everywhere, and nowhere."

Trip stared at the alien blankly. //What is it talking about?// he asked himself.

"Am ah dead?" he asked.

The alien gazed around the 'white', as if he could see something else in it. "Death. Quite a paradox."

"Why is it a paradox? Either you're dead or alive!" Trip exclaimed, clearly confused by the alien's words.

"You are wrong." replied the alien. "There are many more states than just 'life' and 'death'. Your species just hasn't found them yet."

"What about mah friends?" inquired Trip. "What about them?"

"Are they alive?!" said Trip, his voice raising slightly.

The alien's eyes wandered the 'white', searching for something that Trip could not see.

"Yes. And no. They are both, yet they are neither."

"What are you talking about?!!" exclaimed Trip.

"You wanted to save your friends, did you not?"

"Yes!" said Trip.

"What if they could not be saved?"

"I don't...I don't understand." mumbled Trip.

"What if your friends can not be saved? What if they are condemned to die?"

"That's impossible!" exclaimed Trip. "You can change the future, so that they won't die!"

The alien sighed. "Listen to me, young one. Some things cannot be changed, at least not easily. In the fabric of time, some beings are the thread, and others are the needle."

"Are you saying my friends are the thread? That their fates are already decided?"

"Yes. But you have the power to change that. You are one of the needles of time. You have the power to change their destinies."

"But that's what I just did!" Trip sputtered, "And they still died!"

The alien moved closer to Trip, as if he held a great secret no one else could hear. "You must understand, it is a trade. Time can take, and it can give. Not both. Their lives for yours. Yours for theirs. It is your decision."

Trip pondered this for a moment, then replied. "How can I save them?"

The alien gave him a smile, or at least what passed for one. "Follow your heart."

The alien started to step back, slowing getting farther away from Trip.

"Wait!" he called out.

The alien just kept going, eventually becoming lost in the 'white'.

//Great.// thought Trip. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. He thought of the moment he wanted to go to, and once again, everything around him changed...

* * *

He opened his eyes, and was in Engineering.

//No turning back now.// he thought.

He had already planned what he had to do. After the warp core had begun to melt down, he could have ejected the core. He hadn't in the past because he hadn't had enough time, and someone would have had to stay behind.

To eject the core, he had to take all non-essential power systems offline. Also, when the core is ejected, a mix of methane and carbon dioxide fills the air.

All in all, Trip Tucker was prepared to die.

It wasn't incited by suicide, it wasn't that he had nothing to live for, it was that he had a responsibility. He wouldn't let his crew, his friends, his family die because he was afraid.

This time, it would end right.

He ran into Engineering, slid down the ladder, and started the command sequence for core ejection. Alarms started to beep and red lights flashed all over the ship.

"Everybody out!" he ordered, herding everyone to the door. "Faster!" he called out, as his nervous crewmen filed past him.

Crewman Sanchez stopped just by the door. "Are you coming sir?" she asked, a worried look marring her lovely features.

A sad smile crept onto Trip's lips. "Not this time, Maria, not this time. Go on!" he urged.

She gave him one last look, and went through the door. It slid shut behind her.

Trip quickly input a command override code to keep the door shut. //That'll keep Malcolm out.// he thought, smiling to himself.

He ran back down to the warp core console, watching the minutes pass by on the timer.

//Now to sit back and wait.//

Just like the minutes, memories began to come back to him...

* * *

"Tanya!" Charlie yelled out. "No!!!"

He ran over to his fallen friend, her legs caught under the fence wires, blood running down her face, hands and legs...

* * *

Her lips met his, the sweet sensation of her gentle touch running all over his body. The fragrant scent of her perfume overwhelmed his sense of smell.

//I could stay in this moment forever.// he thought, as he moved forward to kiss her again...

* * *

Everyone's hats flew up into the air. //I made it!// he thought excitedly. //Goodbye high school, hello Starfleet!//

His entire future was ahead of him now.

* * *

His trip down memory lane was broken by a pounding at the door. He quickly looked down at the timer.

00:57.

Not long now. He moved up to the door, now at terms with his demise.

Well, almost at terms.

//Ain't it ironic, my own warp core'll be the death of me.// he thought.

As came closer to the door, he could hear voices calling.

"Trip!"

//Jon. What a hell of a friend.//

"Trip! Get out of there!"

"Can't do that, Cap'n. If I leave now, there's a chance that the core might not eject. I won't take that chance."

"I'm giving you an order, Commander! Get out of there!" Desperation could be heard in Jon's voice.

"Sorry Cap'n. This is the one order I won't follow. I've gotta go now Jon, the core's about to eject now. You'll always be my best friend. Always."

"No Trip! No!"

* * *

Captain's Log

Supplemental

I went to Trip's quarters today. First time since he died. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt. Just stepping into a place where he had once lived tore my heart.

Pictures line his desk. There's one of him and me after we came back from Australia. Tired and dirty, we still managed to smile.

Then there's him and his nephew, Paul. Trip loved Paul so much. Paul was his sister Amy's only son. This picture was of the two of them, deep sea fishing off of the Florida Keys.

So many memories filled that small room. Everywhere I looked, I saw Trip. The unmade bed, the small parts he loved to tinker with, the pictures.

I suppose going to his room was a symbol of goodbye for me. There had been a funeral for him, but I was too caught up in grief to really appreciate it.

I still vividly remember the day he died. After the core had been ejected, I ordered Malcolm to cut open the doors with a blowtorch, since we couldn't get past the security codes Trip had implemented.

I then told T'Pol to flood Engineering with oxygen so we could breathe. I was first to enter, and I went to find Trip. A glimmer of hope was buried in my chest as I looked, but was quickly squashed when I saw his body slumped on the ground. I don't recall much after that.

Now, as I sit here in my own quarters, I think that I've finally moved on to acceptance. I know that somewhere out there, my best friend is smiling at me.

That I can live with.


End file.
